


Color in the Darker Side

by tog



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Wolves, Fluff and Angst, Kind of domestic tbh, M/M, Slow Build, Werewolves, idk what to tag, protective!zayn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-08
Updated: 2013-11-14
Packaged: 2017-12-31 15:15:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1033189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tog/pseuds/tog
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Niall’s eyes follow the apple as it continues rolling until it hits the feet, paws, of an animal about as tall as himself. He freezes, but the other boys don’t even seem to notice the massive creature standing in the doorway. Niall looks back at it and is met with familiar brown eyes looking up fiercely through dark, thick lashes.</i>
</p><p>  <i>The same eyes he saw last night.</i></p><p>In which Zayn, Liam, Louis, and Harry are werewolves and Niall is the neighbor who is just a <i> tiny<i> bit paranoid.</i></i></p><p>I swear this isn't a Twilight AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. All My Brightest Hopes

**Author's Note:**

> Okay well I started writing this a week or two ago and usually I don't post things until I have it 100% complete (especially fics that I know are gonna be multi-chaptered and actually have a plot) but I am gonna post this in hopes that it'll motivate me to finish the fic. 
> 
> So yeah, enjoy yah nuggets. 
> 
> (Story and chapter titles are both taken from Paint You Wings by All Time Low)

Chapter 1

“You’ll be fine, I promise.” his mother says soothingly while grabbing the last box from his car. Niall quickly rushes over to her and takes the box from her arms. She thanks him while closing the trunk and starts walking with him towards the new house. It’s old and the white paint is slightly peeling off the panels. The dark shingles look like they should have been replaced well over a few years ago. Another project he thinks that he’ll never get around to doing.

After all, he isn’t going to put effort into something and become attached, because that just leads to being hurt.

 _It’s just a house,_ he reminds himself.

Niall’s mom opens the door for him and he nods to her before walking into the house and depositing the box next to the rest of them that are currently cluttered around what is soon to be his living room. He drags himself to the kitchen and plops down on one of the stools planted around the marble countered island. Maura is already pulling out pots and pans but Niall shakes his head.

“M’not that hungry.” he mumbles, but she hears and almost drops the pan that instant. She regains her motor controls and looks at her son incredulously. That had been the first time in 19 years that Niall said that. She rushes over to feel his forehead with the back of her hand. Niall squirms under his mothers touch but she finally backs away.

“What was that for?” he asks curiously, a hint of tiredness in his voice. She eyes him warily before putting the pots and pans in their respective places.

“I was feeling if you had a temperature. If you have a fever high enough you could experience hallucinations.” she explains. Niall gives a weak chuckle and drops his forehead to the counter. It’s cool against his skin and he wonders just exactly how much it cost.

“I’m fine, really. I’m just tired and don’t feel like eating right now.” he says with a sigh and his voice slightly muffled from being pressed up against the table. He can hear his mother stop and pad over to him. She sits down in the stool next to him before running her fingers through his hair, a comforting action that she always did to him when he was growing up and was stressed or anxious. He hums in return, feeling himself already starting to relax.

“Niall, you were so excited to be moving out and into this beautiful house that your grandparents gave to you.” she merely points out, but Niall knows she is trying to get him to open up about whatever is bothering him. He sighs and props his elbows on the counter and balances his head in his hands.

“It’s all just hitting me that I’m finally on my own and 19 years has already passed by and,” he sighs, “everything is catching up.” he says finally but doesn’t say everything he’s thinking. Maura coos at him and pulls him into a bone crushing hug that is still comforting. Her short blonde hair tickles his ears slightly.

“Honey, those are problems that I would advise you worry about when you’re having your midlife crisis, not when you’re so young and just starting out.” she says with a little chuckle. She releases him from the hug but her hands remain gripped on his shoulders. Maura’s eyes are filled with fondness and proudness and it makes Niall blush knowing that his mother still thinks the best of him; even after deciding to take a year off from Uni and moving out to the middle of god knows nowhere to clear his mind she still is by him with his every side. 

“Thanks, mom.” he says and smiles at her. She nods and stands up, placing a kiss on his head.

“Well, I know we just got here but I have to get back to Bobby before he starts thinking that we got eaten by bears.” she laughs at her own joke before telling him to make sure to eat something and promising that she’ll visit often. She leaves in a flash and Niall is suddenly left alone in his too big house.

He stands in the middle of the long, gravel driveway before heading back into his house. He stands in his living room for some time before deciding that he’ll unpack tomorrow. He pushes the boxes up against the wall before setting his mattress in the middle of the room and pulling out his blanket and a pillow. He curls up in the heap of fabrics and mattress, and despite the fact the sun is only starting to set he falls asleep in a matter of minutes.

 

 

When he wakes up it is dark out and the temperature has dropped. He shivers and pulls his blanket tighter around his shoulders. His bare feet hit the cold hardwood floors as he looks for the thermostat. He finally cranks up the heat, not caring that his heating bill will be skyrocketing and makes his way to the kitchen. There is a package of ramen sitting on the counter, bless his mother for not leaving him completely helpless.

When he said that he was moving to the middle of nowhere, he wasn’t exactly exaggerating. Of course, if he wanted to reach town it would be a 15 minute drive before reaching the closest grocery store. He contemplates taking his car and picking up a pizza or take out (another downside to his current living situation is that he can’t order from home, doubting that they would drive all the way out to his house.)

Niall decides that he doesn’t really have a choice, ramen it is. Though, he doesn’t mentally note to drive into town tomorrow and pick up a few groceries.

The silence of the house is what gets to him first, so he takes out his laptop and starts blasting his music at the highest volume, singing along to Still Into You by Paramore without shame (although he does blush a little bit when he butchers the high note in the bridge because he was trying to swallow a forkful of noodles at the same time.)

The rest of the night goes along in the same manner, the top 40 still blasting from his laptop when he falls asleep.

 

 

He wakes up early the next morning due to his previous nap from yesterday. He locks the door, feeling a bit paranoid that a serial killer is going to break in and stab him while he’s in the shower. Niall thinks how embarrassing it would be to have someone find him wet, naked, and dead in the shower with shampoo still in his hair. He shakes the thought out of his head and continues to lather himself in a body wash that smells a little bit minty and manages to wake him up a bit more.

He jumps out of the shower and dries his hair off with a towel. He starts to wrap the towel around his waist before smiling to himself. He remembers that now he doesn’t share a house with anyone, so what’s the purpose of covering up now? The house is still warm from when he turned up the heat last night, so he drops the towel to his feet and walks through the halls and down the stairs to the living room stark naked. He can’t help but feel a little exposed, the fact that one wall of the living room is made up of huge windows that reach from the ceiling to the floor. Niall feels as if eyes are hidden in the depths of the trees outside and watching his every movement.

“Stop thinking like that or you’re going to go crazy.” he reprimands to himself out loud. He chuckles at the irony of that—he’s talking to himself. Isn’t that the first sign of insanity?

He searches through the boxes for the few that hold his clothes. He finally finds one and throws on a pair of pants and jeans. It takes a bit more searching to find a shirt and sweater but he manages.

As if on cue, his stomach growls when he walks into the kitchen. He groans, remembering that he still has to go buy food unless he wants to go all Bear Grylls and start drinking his pee and eating tree bark.

He slips on his shoes and grabs his keys. The drive into town is spent singing more songs on the radio and trying not to get lost and end up in Canada.

His trip isn’t a total disaster.

Niall only ends up having to turn around a total of once because after 10 minutes of driving he realized that he was supposed to turn left at the end of his driveway instead of right. After that, everything runs smoothly up until he gets to the store. He manages to grab whatever he thinks will last him two weeks and turns to start making his way to the checkout line.

When he does turn, he knocks into what feels like a brick wall and manages to topple over and on instinct reaches out for the closest thing. And with just his luck, it so happens to be a flimsy shelf that holds a display of cans. The shelf comes crashing down next to him and his head meets the ground with a thud. He lays there for a few seconds dazed, not fully comprehending what just happened.

“Hey are you alright mate?” a voice asks and Niall’s eyes snap from where they were focused on a ceiling light fixture to a man with soft brown eyes and wide shoulders.  It takes a moment for Niall to realize that he’s the one he ran into. Niall closes his eyes again, mentally yelling at himself for being such a klutz.

“Whoa, whoa let’s not close our eyes just yet, you might have a concussion—you hit the ground pretty hard.” he says with genuine concern and bends down while lightly slapping Niall’s cheeks in order to wake him up. Niall groans and peels his eyes open again, the stranger’s face much closer than before.

“There we go, my name’s Liam.” the stranger—Liam—tells him and helps him sit up. Niall feels the back of his head and thankfully there is no blood. He accepts Liam’s outstretched hand and gets to his feet thankfully without knocking anything else over.

“Sorry about running into you.” he apologizes sheepishly while gripping his basket with white knuckles. Liam chuckles and waves him off,

“It’s all good. I think the real person we should be sorry for is whoever has to clean up this mess.” he jokes and playfully punches Niall in the arm but with a little more force than he aims for. Niall ends up stumbling backwards while holding his shoulder with one hand. This time its Liam giving Niall a sheepish look and apologizing.

“It’s all good.” Niall parrots and forces a smile on his face.

“If you want I can drive you back to your place.” before Niall can decline or ask how Liam knows where he lives, Liam quickly adds in, “I saw you moving in yesterday while I was out on a run. We’re actually neighbors.” Liam smiles at him with a hopeful look. Niall thinks it’s just a little bit unfair because honestly, who could say no to those puppy dog eyes? He bites his lip before answering,

“But, I can’t just leave my car here…” he points out. Liam shakes his head,

“We can take your car back, but I’ll drive.” he says like it’s no big deal. Niall wants to sit Liam down and see if _he’s_ the one with the concussion because strangers don’t just offer to drive strangers home with the stranger’s car. It just doesn’t work like that.

But Liam has a look of determination and innocence almost so Niall just nods his head before continuing to check out his groceries and guide Liam to his car.

“What about yours?”

Liam blushes a bit while putting the key in the ignition. He smiles when he hears the engine come to life and the radio that’s still blasting mainstream pop songs fills the car. Niall goes to turn the volume down but Liam shoos his hand away, his head bopping to the beat.

“I uh- I actually ran here…” he says. Niall give him a disbelieving look as Liam pulls out of the parking lot and to Niall’s house. Niall gapes at him for a good few minutes, trying to sort out if Liam is just pulling his leg or being serious.

“You’re kidding. It would take well over half an hour to get into town!” he blurts out, totally baffled. Liam laughs and just replies with,

“Yeah, it’s good exercise.”

They continue driving for a few more minutes in silence before Niall breaks the silence.

“So, we’re neighbors.” Liam nods, “I didn’t see any houses before.”

“Yeah, our house is kinda hidden in the depths of the forest.” Liam laughs before slowing down and pointing to a gravel road.

“That’s actually our driveway.” he says before speeding back up. Only a few ways more and they’re pulling up to Niall’s house.

“Our?” Niall asks, picking up on Liam’s word choice before. Liam nods before unbuckling and opening the door. He jumps out of the car and Niall follows. He’s already grabbing Niall’s groceries and walking up the driveway to the door.

“Yeah, a few other mates and I share the house. It’s so big so, why not?” he says while nudging the door open. Niall didn’t exactly invite him in, but he decides not to comment on it. He just hopes that Liam doesn’t turn out to be a crazy cannibalistic murderer that lures their prey into their own homes before chopping them up to pieces and cooking them in the oven.

Liam doubles over in laughter and almost drops the bags in his arms. Niall raises an eyebrow at him, _maybe he is crazy._

“This must seem really weird; me just inviting myself over even though we just met.” he seems to take the words straight from his brain, and Niall nods. “It is okay that I’m here, right? I promise I’m not some creep or serial killer.” Liam says while putting away Niall’s groceries. He sits down on a stool and nods when Liam turns around to look at him. Anyways, he isn’t going to kick him out if he’s offering to put his groceries away for him. Liam chuckles again.

After Liam finally puts all of Niall’s food away, they both make their way to the living room. Liam gently nudges one of the boxes on the ground and looks up at Niall.

“If you want, I can bring over my housemates and we can help you unpack.” Liam offers. Niall looks around at the boxes and remembers how all his furniture (well, half of it is furniture his many relatives gave to him) is still sitting in the garage. He can’t possibly lug everything in by himself, so he accepts Liam’s offer and he smiles widely before promising that he’ll be right back with his buddies.

A few minutes later, Liam returns with two other guys and are helping him put his house together.

“M’name is Harry.” the lad who is holding the other end of the couch says after they set it down in the middle of the living room. Niall’s forehead is lightly covered in perspiration, but the other 3 lads don’t have a drop of sweat on them, even the one who is smaller than Niall seems to treat the task at hand like it’s a breeze. Liam and that said person come in with the last piece of furniture, his bed frame. The make their way quickly and gracefully up the stairs without fumbling for a second.

“Niall. So you live next door with Liam?” Niall asks conversationally. Harry nods before starting to open the nearest box that holds a few books.

“Yep, and with Louis and Zayn, who you haven’t met yet.” he says while putting the books away in the bookshelf. Niall stares at the remaining boxes, wondering how the hell he’s gathered so much stuff up in his lifetime. He opens another box which holds a few pictures of his family and friends that he thinks will fit nicely over the fireplace.

“Where is he?” Niall asks with genuine curiosity. The other three lads seemed more than enthusiastic to meet and help out their new neighbor.

“He went out for a run.” Harry says slowly, almost carefully.

“He’s being his moody self, I am glad he’s out of he’s out of the house—if I caught one more whiff of teenage angst I was going to shave all his hair off.” the boy who must be Louis appears out of nowhere and is suddenly leaning over Niall’s shoulder. He jumps a little, a bit surprised at how quickly Louis, well, all of them for that matter, move.

“Shut up Louis; Zayn’ll hear you and remember last time?” Harry scolds the petit boy. Louis scowls but gingerly caresses a funny looking scar on his forearm and Niall gasps a bit.

“Yeah, he’s a dick though!” Louis snaps and Harry laughs.

“Only because its close and you know he doesn’t handle it as well as us. And for good reason too!” Harry says gravely and Niall is so confused. _What’s close? Why doesn’t he handle whatever it is well?_

Liam pops in the room at that moment and gives the pair a look that could freeze Medusa in her spot. Niall swears he hears a low growl come from Liam’s chest, but he reasons that he hasn’t eaten in a day and he’s probably just hearing his own stomach.

“Will the both of you please shut up.” he orders more than asks. The both of them comply and Liam’s hard, stony face turns soft when he faces Niall. He finds it a bit bothersome but comforting how Liam can switch moods in a matter of seconds.

“Sorry.” he apologizes and Niall waves a hand at him.

“It’s fine. Hey, do you guys want to stay for dinner? I have to test my kitchen out sometime so, why not tonight?” Niall asks them. Besides, they did help him move in so it is the least he can do in return. As if on cue, both Niall and Harry’s stomachs growl and Louis nods.

“Irish, cute, and cooks too? Man, if I weren’t completely devoted to Harry I would have you on your knees before morning.” Louis says and lightly slaps Niall’s bum on his way out of the living room. Niall can feel himself blush and ducks his head down. Never has he had a guy been so upfront and honest with him.

“Oh god, I am so sorry.” Niall thinks that Liam might be just as red as he is, “LOUIS!” he shouts before jogging to where he just went. Niall is left standing alone with a Harry that looks unfazed by what just happened.

“So you and Louis…” he says.

“Yeah, he’s quite the character but I love him regardless.” Harry says with a sudden fondness and intimacy that makes Niall feel like he should leave the room and give Harry a moment. “You don’t have a problem that we’re—” Harry starts but Niall interrupts,

“No, no it’s fine. I mean, yeah. Its fine, no problems.” he says awkwardly, not knowing if he should be telling him that he swings both ways. He decides that he’ll tell them when the opportunity arises, but not right now because he can’t help but think that there would be no way for him to say it without sounding like he’s trying to hit on Harry.

“We should probably go join them.” Harry says and Niall agrees, quickly following his footsteps into his kitchen.

 

 

The rest of the night goes smoothly.

Niall learns that the three lads all like their meat on the rawer side, but he doesn’t comment on it. Zayn doesn’t make an appearance either, despite Liam going outside to call him twice throughout the evening. He also learns that Louis and Harry are actually inseparable. Niall had made the mistake of throwing a friendly arm around Harry’s shoulders while exchanging a few laughs, earning a look that made his blood turn cold from Louis. Niall coughed awkwardly before lifting his arm off of Harry and retreating over to Liam who he suspected would be strong and friendly enough to protect him if Louis were to think of jumping his bones.

“We should probably be going; we’ve been in your hair all day now.” Liam says while collecting his two other friends. Niall walks them to the door before Harry spins around and calls back to Niall,

“We should hang out tomorrow, our place.” and before Niall can decline the offer, the three of them are sprinting back to their own house, their laughter still audible even as they disappear from sight. The sun is already starting to set and Niall’s had enough for one day. He walks back into his house, admiring the hard work they put in today to get everything to look nice.

He walks out to his porch and plops down against the nearest tree. He enjoys the few moments of silence before a quiet, but clear _snap_ makes him jump from his spot and turn to face the forest. The sun has disappeared from the horizon and suddenly everything turns from calm and therapeutic to dangerous and threatening. His eyes strain to see into the dark brush, and for a moment he thinks he sees a pair of deep, brown eyes with thick lashes staring at him, but he blinks again and the pair of eyes is gone.

Niall rushes into his house and double checks to make sure he locked all the doors. He makes his way upstairs to his bedroom and curls up in a ball, letting exhaustion pull him into a deep sleep.

That night, he dreams of eyes watching him in the forest, specifically Liam’s, Louis’, Harry’s, and dark ones with thick eyelashes.


	2. Coming Out of My Cage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niall meets Zayn, some other things happen too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I promised, the second chapter is up! If you haven't noticed, these past two chapters haven't been beta'd so all mistakes are my own. Liam's kind of a moody dick in this chapter, but I promise he won't be like that ALL the time. 
> 
> Chapter title taken from the song Mr. Brightside by The Killers

Chapter 2                                                                                   

The next day as promised, Niall heads over to Liam, Harry, and Louis’ place promptly at noon.

Niall rings their doorbell and waits for a minute before trying again. No one answers the door, but Niall eyes the two cars parked in the driveway suspiciously before nudging the door slightly with his foot. Surprisingly, the door creaks open and he bites his lip.

He thinks he should probably turn back around and go home, maybe come back tomorrow. But then again on the other hand they did make him promise to come over, and Niall’s never one to break a promise…

He lets his curiosity get the best of him, _besides, they seem like they wouldn’t mind if I just took a quick look,_ he thinks to himself while tiptoeing into the house. He removes his shoes like the courteous man he is and takes in the inner layout of their home.

It isn’t much different from Niall’s—he’s immediately greeted into the kitchen, and off to the left is the living room. To his right is a hallway with a bathroom and a bedroom. A staircase is off to the side, most likely leading up to three other rooms and another bathroom. Before he can go up there and confirm his suspicions a bare-chested and sweaty Liam walks in through the sliding door and does a double take at Niall.

“Oh, hey!” he says, eyeing Niall a bit. Niall awkwardly smiles before stuttering out an excuse,

“Harry invited me over last night and the door was open so I just thought I would pop in but I shouldn’t have and I’m sorry I can leave please don’t hate me—” he begins but Liam’s booming laughter shuts him up.

“Its fine, you’re welcomed here anytime. Just don’t use up all the hot water.” he warns him with a serious look before busting out laughing once more. He dismisses himself to go take a shower and once Liam disappears Louis walks in, as equally sweaty and sporting a naked torso just as Liam did. He doesn’t give Niall a second glance unlike Liam, but offers him a quick “Hey” before jumping into the kitchen and raiding through the fridge. Harry is right behind him but unlike the other two he is thankfully throwing on a shirt (not that Niall wouldn’t mind staring at their sculpted chests all day.)

Harry spots him and grins widely while pulling the blond into a tight hug as if they have been best friends who haven’t seen each other in months.

“Glad you came! It’s movie night tonight so it’ll be fun, promise.” Harry says like an excitable teenager. Louis walks in and shoots Niall a quick glare despite the fact that it’s Harry with his arms still wrapped around his shoulders. Louis has a spoon hanging out of his mouth and is pulling on a shirt. Niall tries to wiggle out of Harry’s killer grip, but fails and just sinks into his embrace.

He leads him over to the kitchen and sits him down (meaning he literally picks him up and Niall squeals in the process) on the counter. Niall is a bit baffled at the action, but remains in his spot while Harry runs around. He pulls his wild curls back with a hair band and even throws on an apron.

“I hope you’re hungry cos I’m in the mood for cooking.” Harry says with another blindingly white grin. Niall nods,

“You’ll soon learn that the way to my heart is food.” he jokes around.

“Question.” Niall says while watching Harry start to concoct a creation that makes Niall’s mouth water.

“Answer.” Harry says back.

“Do any wild animals ever come close to your house at all?” he asks, trying to sound more curious than worried. Harry raises and eyebrow at him but continues to chop up a few pieces of bacon.

“No, not really. Why do you ask?” Harry asks him. Liam and Louis have joined them by now in the kitchen. Liam is leaning against the counter, attempting to get out of Harry’s way without having to be shooed by him and Louis sitting on the island next to the cutting board. Niall shakes his head and releases a small chuckle.

“It’s silly, really. I was outside last night and I could have sworn I saw some animal’s eyes watching me…I’m probably just paranoid.” he tries to play it cool in front of his (dare he say it?) new friends. Liam though bounces up from his spot and looks at Niall in all seriousness.

“You’re not a hunter, right?” he asks, his voice low. Niall squirms under his intense gaze and shakes his head. The three of them seem to let out a sigh of relief and so does Niall.

In attempts to lighten the mood a bit, Niall attempts to juggle a few apples that are conveniently placed in a bowl behind him. Harry watches him in awe as he tries to keep the fruits in the air, but eventually he fumbles and one goes rolling across the floor.

Niall’s eyes follow the apple as it continues rolling until it hits the feet, _paws,_ of an animal about as tall as himself. He freezes, but the other boys don’t even seem to notice the massive creature standing in the doorway. Niall looks back at it and is met with familiar brown eyes looking up fiercely through dark, thick lashes.

The same eyes he saw last night.

This time, Niall does let out a shriek and actually falls off of the counter. Harry rushes to Niall’s side and Liam spins around to see what he is pointing at. He expects him to freak out similar to him but the other three lads just exchange a few looks before mutually agreeing on something that Niall can’t decipher.

“Uh, Niall, this is…our pet.” Harry says carefully while helping Niall to his feet. Liam walks over and puts a hand between the animal’s shoulders. He takes a second to process Harry’s words. Niall looks over at Louis, hoping that this is just another prank they’re trying to pull. Louis grins at him expectantly and Niall is fully convinced that they’re crazy.

“You’re crazy.” but they all seem too deep in conversation with each other by now to hear his comment. Liam is whispering sharply into the beast’s ear and Niall wants to pull him away in case the animal was to snap at him. The three of them, however, seem unfazed by the fact that they are sharing a house hold with, well, Niall is completely sure what the animal is.

He takes another look at their pet. Its eyes are a deep brown color, but even from a distance Niall can still make out golden specks scattered in the irises. The animal is covered in dark, black as night fur. Its head could easily rest on Liam’s shoulder and paws bigger than his own head. Niall doesn’t try to think about the claws or teeth hidden behind fur.

“You have…a _bear_ as a pet?” Niall asks dumbly and receives a low growl in return. He freezes in his spot but Louis laughs and jumps on his pet’s back.

“Careful, this one is a bit vain. He’s a wolf.” Louis laughs and the wolf shakes the petit man off his back. Niall flinches but Louis gets up and flicks the animal’s ear.

“Prick.” he huffs while getting up. Liam slaps the wolf’s rear end and in return the creature snaps his teeth dangerously close to Liam’s arm, but he remains to look unfazed.

“You’re not supposed to be here, not like this.” he says dangerously low while the wolf trots forward and closes the space between itself and Niall. Niall takes a few steps backwards, but the wolf still continues approaching him. He gives Liam a panicked look but the other lad is too busy burning holes into the animal’s head. He tries Harry, but he looks excited more than worried. He goes along with Harry and hopes that he doesn’t end up being their pet’s supper.

“Uh, nice doggy?” he says when the wolf stops and eyes him curiously. The animal sniffs at Niall’s hand and before Niall can react, is nudging at it. He rolls over onto his stomach and the mysterious, impending death façade is replaced with an expression that Niall can only compare to a rambunctious puppy. The wolf’s tongue hangs lazily out of its mouth, giving the impression that it is smiling. He notes the extremely humanly characteristic. Niall bends down on his knees cautiously and runs a hand through his fur.

“Hm, that’s weird. Usually he doesn’t let anyone touch his hair or pet him.” Harry comments before returning back to his concoction. Niall raises an eyebrow at him and looks back down at the pet. Liam gives them a tight smile,

“Why don’t you go get _Zayn_ , or make yourself scarce.” Liam says to the animal, his voice sounding a bit strained. The wolf gives a growl before getting up, causing Niall to fall back onto his ass with a thud. The animal and Liam seem to be both glaring each other and having a conversation with their eyes.

“Don’t you dare.” Liam says. Harry stops mixing and Louis gives the wolf a skeptical look.

“I agree this isn’t a good time.” Louis says suddenly and Harry’s eyes are growing wider by the second. Niall feels left out and wants to ask what’s going on, but doesn’t feel like being the one under Liam’s glare. The wolf trots off and disappears for the moment. The three of them let out a collective sigh and Niall is still sitting on the floor, as confused as ever.

“Sorry about that. Harry, you’re burning the food.” Liam says, a smile back on his face and laughing while Harry curses and yanks the pan off the stove.

“Damn…Niall, how do you feel about pizza?” Niall gets up and dusts off his clothes.

“Mate, I’ll eat anything you put in front of me.”

 

 

Niall is surprised by his own reaction to the whole _hey-we-have-a-wolf-as-a-pet_ situation. They finish their pizzas in no time (he’s never met someone who could match his appetite) and soon are all huddled up on the couch in their living room. Niall is situated on the end with a little space to stretch his legs. Harry is leaning into his side with Louis clinging onto the curly boy’s arm. Liam has his feet propped in Louis’ lap and his head resting on armrest.

Their pet hadn’t made an appearance during their meal, so Niall assumed he went out on a run in the woods. It’s dark and they’re popping in the first movie, _Love, Actually_ (Harry had somehow convinced them) _,_ when the wolf decides to fit through the sliding glass door and sitting in front of the couch, blocking their view of the TV.

“Move, you fatty.” Louis scolds and chucks a pillow at his head. The wolf catches it gracefully in its mouth and without hesitation jumps onto the couch. He drops the pillow on Niall’s lap before resting his head on it. A rush of air escapes Niall’s lips under the dog’s heaviness.

“I think he’s trying to kill me.” Niall says breathlessly but the trio just laughs at him.

“He thinks he’s cute.” Liam scoffs, “I see you didn’t get Zayn.” but Liam doesn’t put up anymore of a fight. Niall shifts ever so slightly so the circulation to his legs isn’t completely cut off. The wolf looks up at him with wide eyes and Niall rolls his own before lightly scratching behind the animal’s ears. He gives a content sigh before dropping his eyes to the TV and Niall laughs at the image, the wolf’s eyes strangely focused on the screen.

“You’re one strange wolf.” he says while playfully flicking the animal’s ear. Niall realizes that he’s spent about half of the movie captivated by the wolf’s every movement. How his nose twitches when they had made popcorn, or how his ears move on their own accord at every creak and snap, or how his eyes would slowly close, only to snap back open by Harry’s booming laughter or whenever Niall changed positions or stopped petting him.

“You don’t know the half of it.” Louis barks with laughter and Liam shoots him a look, but Louis ignores him and keeps his eyes glued on the TV.

“That’s enough, Louis.” he says calmly. The wolf raises his head and looks at Liam. Niall can swear he hears a growl come from Liam’s chest, but he’s much more interested in the way his shoulders are starting to shake a bit.

“Liam, are you okay?” Niall asks. Liam waves a hand at him while getting up. He yanks open the sliding door with more force than necessary and stalks out into the woods despite the fact that it is pitch black outside.

“Don’t worry about him; it’s his time of the month.” Louis shrugs and Niall laughs, but Harry and Louis remain quiet. He curls into the wolf more while Harry pops in another disk. He manages to fall asleep before the adverts even start to play.

 

 

Niall wakes up in an unfamiliar but comfy bed. He doesn’t remember how he got there, but he figures that Harry probably picked him up and set him in the guest room. He peels open his eyes and notices it’s still dark out. He digs his phone out of his sweatpants pocket and reads that it’s only 2 in the morning. He tries to close his eyes once more and fall asleep, but his bladder is screaming at him so he rolls out of bed and tiptoes his way down the hallway and into the bathroom. After relieving himself, Niall starts making his way back to the bed, but stops after he hears a few voices outside. He contemplates ignoring them, but the yelling is growing louder and Niall can’t help himself. Before he knows it, his feet are moving down the hallway and towards the living room. He peeks in, only a bit surprised to see Harry and Louis still cuddled on the couch, a light blue glow softly lighting the area and their faces. Niall shivers and pads across the room to close the door but stops and finds two figures in the distance. He can clearly make out Liam’s annoyed and slightly exasperated voice, but an unfamiliar and slightly attractive sounding voice is arguing back.

“Zayn, that was stupid! You knew he was there, you shouldn’t have shown yourself.” Liam grunts.Niall puts two and two together and assumes that the other voice is Zayn, the one he had yet to meet.

“Well I wasn’t expecting him to be _right there!_ ” he says but Liam cuts him off,

“Bullshit! What were you even thinking?”

“I don’t know, Li! Okay, it was my last day and I wasn’t thinking straight!” Zayn snaps. Niall has no clue what they’re talking about and is about to head back to bed, but he can hear Liam stop in his tracks, Zayn also stopping.

“You could have killed him if you got out of hand.” Liam growls. Niall’s eyes finally adjust to the darkness and he can see the outlines of their silhouettes. He watches as who he guesses is Zayn shove Liam, causing the broader boy to stumble back. He though is quick to react and shoves Zayn harder.

“I wouldn’t…” he trails off.

“That’s what you said with Perrie.” Liam hisses, and before Niall can even blink a blood curdling ripping and crunching sound is filling the air and right where Zayn was before is now a giant wolf. The wolf pounces at Liam, but when Niall looks another wolf has replaced Liam’s spot. They collide and tufts of fur being ripped out with fangs and teeth that has Niall’s heart stuttering.

“Shit, Niall?” he hears Harry and Louis waking up. He turns around and points to the scene behind him,

“I—” he begins but his mouth is left hanging open. Harry and Louis both wear matching expressions of worry.

Niall blinks three more times and the noise of the two wolves snarling and growling is still filling his ears.

He gives a hysterical laugh before promptly passing out. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I promised, the second chapter is up! The next chapter is actually a work in progress so it wont be up until sometime next week? Maybe a little soon. Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> -Nessa xx


	3. Young, but I'm Not that Bold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niall runs with the wolves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh god this chapter was so fun to write, definitely one of my favorite chapters so far. Maybe leave a comment afterwards?  
> Chapter title taken from Counting Stars by One Republic

Chapter 3

 

When Niall wakes up, his head feels like it’s been smashed against two bricks and can’t remember a thing from last night. He tries to sit up, but even opening his eyes seem to be a struggle. He lies there for a few seconds, wishing that death could come and relieve him of his pain. He groans as another wave of pain throbs at the back of his head. He wonders if maybe he drank a little too much last night, which would explain why he feels like vomiting his internal organs.

“He’ll be fine, but no thanks to you two.” he can hear Harry whisper harshly from the other side of the room. A long silence fills the air and Niall thinks that maybe they left, but an intake of air and a bit of shuffling proves him wrong.

“You’re lucky he didn’t go running off and telling people.” Harry picks back up again, his voice still steady but softer.

“Who would have believed him? We’re fine.” another unfamiliar voice replies back.

“Still, now how are we going to explain this to him?” a long silence stretches out. Niall wonders who they’re talking about. Before he can ponder more on that subject, the memories from last night start coming back to them, and he realizes that they’re talking about him. He feels even more nauseous and wants to desperately roll out of bed and make his way to the bathroom, but his body is paralyzed in fear and he’s slowly opening his eyes just a crack.

Harry, Liam, and who must be Zayn are standing in the doorway of the bedroom. Both Liam and Harry’s backs are turned towards him, but he can clearly make out Zayn from his spot. He looks warm with his tanned skin and dark features. His dark hair is swooped up in a tall but messy quiff, his eyebrows furrowed together. His arms are littered with tattoos and Niall can see another one peeking out from beneath his shirt. His jaw is tightly clenched, but his eyes look calm and mostly unimpressed. The light hits them ever so perfectly and Niall swears he’s seen those eyes before.

Then he remembers that Zayn is a wolf and at the exact moment his eyes meet his own. Niall sucks in a breath and silently begs that Zayn won’t tell the others. He needs just a few more minutes to soak in the previous night and would rather do that without a bunch of werewolves jumping on him.

Zayn seems to acknowledge Niall’s silent plea and just as quickly as their eyes meet, he’s turning away and leading the other two out of the room. Niall lets out a breath of relief, but the door opens again and Zayn is sitting at the edge of the bed.

“Hey.” Is all he says before Niall is sitting up and scooting as far away as possible from him. Zayn looks a bit hurt at his actions, maybe even a little offended but if he is he doesn’t let it show longer than a millisecond. Niall stares at him, wondering if they plan to kill him now and bury his body deep within the woods so that he’ll never be heard from again. He knows it should upset him, but deep within he knows he’ll be more upset if it turns out that these ‘friends’ he’s made were really crazy werewolves planning his death from the moment he moved in.

Hey, he gets attached too easily to people—Louis, Harry, and Liam being no exception.

“Are you okay?” Zayn asks, thoroughly snapping Niall out of his own head. Niall nods but he croaks out,

“Well, I found out I live next to a pack of werewolves who may or may not want to kill me. Do you think I am okay?” he snaps out but he can’t help but pick up on the fear in his voice. He hopes that Zayn couldn’t hear the waver, but if he does he doesn’t show it.

“We don’t want to kill you.” Zayn says with a chuckle. Niall raises an eyebrow at him, still not fully convinced that the pack of beasts isn’t out to eat him for supper.

“I’m Zayn, by the way.” the darker lad offers.

“Are you? Because just yesterday I thought you were their pet wolf.” Niall says bitterly, still not fully trusting the beautiful lad. Niall wants to feel angry towards the man, but he can’t help but want to get lost in his eyes and is just a little in awe with the fact that _he’s a goddamn werewolf._

“I’m sorry, I really am. I never wanted you to find out like that.” Zayn says with shame all over his face and it makes Niall want to jump off a bridge or something. Niall bites his lip,

“No, I guess I was just caught a bit off guard and…it’s a lot to take in.” he shakes his head and just what the hell is he saying? He should be halfway to Ireland by now, not apologizing Zayn. He should be screaming profanities and threatening to hand him over to the cops or the pound or something, anything but this. He’d just met and found out that Liam and Zayn are werewolves, but he can’t bring himself to freak out.

He really can’t explain it, not even to himself.

“Yeah. We were going to tell you eventually if it means anything.” Zayn continues, and Niall gives him a shaky smile.

“So…you and Liam are werewolves.” Zayn lets out a nervous chuckle. “Shit, mate if there’s anything else I should know you better tell me now.” Niall sighs and Zayn takes a deep breath,

“Well, so are Harry and Louis.” and Niall thinks that he can handle this. He can handle being the only human in a group of werewolves that he hasn’t known for even three days. Zayn’s nose twitches and he scoots a little closer to Niall and before he can shut his mouth he’s saying,

“A-are you _sniffing_ me?” he asks the brunet and he blushes, “Is that like, a werewolf thing?” he asks and realizes how stupid he sounds but doesn’t let it bother him. After all, this is the first time he’s ever met werewolf, or anything mystical for that matter.

“You wouldn’t be able to help it either if your senses were intensified by a thousand.” he casually says, a lot more obvious with the way he’s full on inhaling Niall’s scent and for a moment Niall can actually feel all of his blood rush to his cheeks because he hasn’t showered or even put on deodorant. As if on cue, Zayn lets his eyes flutter close and mutters,

“You smell quite nice.” which leaves Niall stuttering out a quick ‘thanks’. They sit there for a few more minutes before Niall is finally standing up,

“I think maybe I should be heading home and…” he awkwardly trails off but at the same time the other ¾ of the household is barging into the room.

“Oh no you’re not.” Louis says and pushes Niall back down on the bed and he steals a quick glance slash glare at Zayn, _you said you weren’t going to kill me!_ And Niall honestly thinks that this is it, this is when they turn out to be playing him like the idiot he is and eat him. He hopes they at least have the decency to kill him first.

“Stop it Lou, you’re scaring him! He looks like he’s going to pass out.” Liam orders and Louis just shrugs muttering something that sounds awfully a lot like _wimp._

“Sorry, but it’s going to be in everyone’s best interest if you stay here for a few days.” Liam turns back towards Niall but doesn’t meet his eyes. 

“Why?”

“You hit your head pretty hard back there, and you shouldn’t be left alone just in case.” Niall gives him a look that he hopes translates into _keep going_. “And we should probably talk about, uh, last night.” he says and Niall nods his head. He doesn’t see the point of arguing with Liam, because A.) He’s a bloody werewolf and could probably have Niall dead before he could even blink, B.) He knows that they will have to eventually talk, and plus he does feel a bit uneasy on his feet, C.) He’s a _bloody werewolf, for fucks sake._

“Okay. In that case, I think I need to shower.” Niall says and Harry offers to show him to the bathroom. Niall follows obediently and can’t help but feel a little like he’s their prisoner.

“I grab you a towel and some of Zayn’s smaller clothes; you would probably fit in Louis’ but I don’t think he’d be willing to share.” Harry says with a certain fondness that Niall notes he only uses whenever talking about Louis. Niall thanks him and quickly undresses and hops in the shower. He remembers Liam’s comment he made the previous day about not using up all the hot water, which he was probably joking about but Niall doesn’t want to risk anything so he cuts down his usual 30 minute shower to an impressive 10.

Just like Harry said, a towel and a set of clothes are sitting on the counter. Niall takes his sweet old time drying and dressing himself, prolonging the inevitable. He knows that the four other lads are waiting for him to join him and talk about what happened last night, and yes, Niall is a bit curious about the whole situation but at the same time he just wants to drop it. He honestly can’t afford this type of situation and the potential emotion and mental impact it’s going to leave on him. The first reason he agreed to move out here was so he could escape his stressful life and enjoy some real peace.

He contemplates jumping out the window. He would definitely break a leg, but he thinks maybe he could limp his way just far enough and call his mother, maybe convince her to pick him up herself and let him hide away at his parents’ house for a few days, or weeks…

He is snapped out of his thoughts when a sharp rapping comes from the bathroom door.

“You alright, Niall?” Harry asks and Niall nods, forgetting that Harry can’t see him.

“Uh, yeah. Just getting dressed.” he says back and Harry tells him that breakfast will be ready any second and leaves him to finish dressing. Niall sighs and throws on the pants and jumper that Harry had set out for him. He slips it over his head and for a second before he pulls his head through the hole he smells the sweater. It has a faint smell of smoke and something Niall can only describe as the smell of a new book, except so much better. The arms of the knitted sweater are about two inches too long for him, but he doesn’t bother to roll them up.

He decides that he’s wasted enough time and can’t procrastinate anymore. He makes his way down the stairs (and if anyone asks if he was going as slow as possible he’ll deny it) and forces himself to sit down in the only empty stool at the island in the middle of the kitchen. Fortunately, it’s at the end of the island so he isn’t sandwiched between two of the boys. Unfortunately, he’s seated right next to Zayn who doesn’t seem to know what the meaning of subtle is. He blatantly is staring at Niall with a stupidly goofy grin on his face. Niall blushes underneath his gaze and wants to crawl under a table, even though he knows he’ll still be able to feel Zayn’s eyes glued on him.

“What? Do I have something on my face?” he asks self-consciously and wipes his face just for good measure. Zayn shakes his head and finally rips his eyes from Niall, focusing on stuffing a sausage link in his mouth and, _oh._

His plump lips are wrapping around the sausage in a way that Niall thinks should be illegal, because Zayn is definitely doing that on purpose.  He blushes even more and shifts awkwardly in his seat, and not because he’s half hard in his pants right now. Zayn steals a glance at Niall and has a smirk on his lips and

 Definitely not turned on whatsoever. Nope.

“No, just, you look like your drowning in my jumper.” Niall frowns a bit, “But it’s kind of cute.” he shrugs and Niall swears he’s going to bang his head against the wall because who the hell does he think he is? No one has ever been so painfully forward with their feelings with Niall, and he’s not too sure how to deal with it right at the moment.

“Uh, thanks.”

“Christ, please be a little more obvious will you Zayn?” Louis fake gags, “And will you stop sexually abusing that poor sausage? Even I’m getting hard.” he says casually, flicking a pancake at Zayn who easily doges it and goes to throw some of his eggs at him.

“Hey! I worked hard on those, so no food fights!” Harry scolds them and it takes all of Niall’s power not to burst out laughing because Harry has got his hip jutted out, arms crossed, and dressed in an apron with his curls tied back and it’s so incredibly ridiculous.

“He started it.” Zayn mutters, jabbing a fork in Louis’ direction but Louis just sticks his tongue out at him like a goddamn two year old and really, how did Niall even think these guys were murderers?

 

 

“So, werewolves.” Niall says after they’ve settled down a bit, but not by much. Louis grins widely and Liam lays his head face down to the counter.

“Yeah, pretty cool right?” Louis says and Niall nods because, yeah it is pretty cool even though he barely knows a thing about them.

“I really am sorry that I didn’t tell you earlier. You shouldn’t have seen it like that…” Liam groans and apologizes at the same time.

“It’s fine, really. Like I said, I was just caught a bit off guard.” he says coolly, mentally patting himself on the back for not letting his voice crack or waver. “I mean, I probably should be freaking out or something, but it’s not like it would do any good.” he tries to explain more to himself than anyone. They all nod along with him. “Sooner I accept it, the easier it will be.” He finishes.

“Well, that went a lot smoother than we thought.” Harry says.

“But there are a few things you should know.” Liam says, and Niall can tell that he’s always the sensible one of the group.

“Okay, like what?”

“Well, contrary to popular belief we don’t turn on full moons. Each wolf has his own time of the month that he ‘changes.’ Get it?” Liam asks before moving on.

“So when Louis said it was your time of the month, he wasn’t kidding?” Niall asks and Liam nods.

“No need to worry, my cycle was three nights ago. As you could probably tell, Zayn’s was last night.” Liam says.

“So what exactly happens during that night? I thought you were supposed to get all violent and go kill of half the villagers.” Niall jokes.

“Not exactly; to be quite honest, it’s more like a girl PMSing. Your emotions are all hyped up for about a week and you’re stuck as wolf for a day.” Harry offers.

“I think, I think that’s all I can handle for right now.” Niall admits sheepishly. He’s got a million more questions, but he knows that if he asks anything else he won’t be able to stop himself or comprehend anything else.

“Do you want to go on a run with us?” Harry asks, an expectant grin threatening to split his face in two. They're already making their way outside and Niall looks at him in disbelief.

“Uh, I don’t know if you guys have noticed but I don’t think I could keep up with you.” he reminds them and Harry shakes his head, throwing off his shirt and pants in a fluid movement, Louis right behind him. Niall rips his eyes off him right as Harry’s hands reach for his boxers.

“Don’t worry about it, come on.” he says and is out the door stark naked before Niall can even protest. Louis is right on his tail and Liam is carefully folding their clothes while removing his own.

“What are you doing?” he asks, pointing to the growing pile of clothes.

“Don’t want to ruin our clothes by tearing them to shreds, would we?” Liam laughs a little and is stripping down and running off into the forest. Niall is left behind with Zayn who is giving him a curious look.

“Are you going with them?” Niall asks, nodding his head out to where Harry, Louis, and Liam have disappeared into the forest. Zayn shrugs and smiles at the blond,

“Only if you are.” and Niall really does. He wants to see them in their element, he wants to run free with them and be able to see what they’re like as wolves. But he’s selfish and doesn’t want to feel like a fifth wheel, and he definitely doesn’t want them to wait up on his sake. Niall chews on his bottom lip, considering his options.

He decides, to hell with it. It’s a once in a lifetime chance and he isn’t going to let it pass him by. He nods and Zayn is grinning even wider and soon is shedding his own clothes. Niall coughs before Zayn can completely strip.

“Could you, uh, keep your underwear on?” he asks shyly and Zayn nods,

“But you look so cute when you blush.” Zayn says, but complies to Niall’s request and leaves on his undergarment.  “You might want to back up a bit.” he warns him, and Niall is stumbling backwards, catching Zayn’s eyes that are filled with an adventurous twinkle. He’s soon turning his back to him and Niall is glad he doesn’t blink because he would have missed the transformation.

Zayn’s back muscles ripples once under his skin and the same ripping, crunching sound from last night is so loud it’s almost deafening. Zayn is starting to run and in mid jump his arms are extending out and they keep on growing longer and longer, wider and wider, claws growing from his nails. Black fur darker than midnight is sprouting from everywhere and Zayn’s ears are pointed. Before he knows it, the same wolf that he met yesterday is standing in front of him.

“Holy shit.” Niall whispers and reaches out to touch Zayn’s head. Zayn makes a noise that Niall swears is a laugh, or as close to a laugh as a wolf can get. “Can you understand me?” Niall asks, and Zayn gives what he hopes is a nod.

Before he knows it, Zayn is sprinting off into the forest, leaving a barefooted Niall standing out in the cool fall breeze. He swears under his breath and doesn’t want to waste more time trying to find shoes so he says screw it and starts running after Zayn. He hopes that he doesn’t step on a sharp rock or any branches, but he doesn’t let his step falter. He follows the path of footprints that Zayn thankfully left.

“Zayn, hey! Wait up! Still human, remember?” Niall calls, catching a glimpse of a black tail in the distance. Niall huffs as he disappears from view and swears that if he twists his ankle because of this he’s seriously going to shave Zayn’s hair off himself.

He continues running for a few more seconds before all of a sudden he’s being scooped up and sitting on Zayn’s back. He lets out a very, very manly yelp (one that was unquestionably not two octaves higher than his usual voice) and accidentally grabs at Zayn’s fur a little too tight for his liking, but thankfully Zayn doesn’t growl at him. He situates himself a bit on the wolf’s back and makes sure to hold on but not too hard. A beat later and Zayn is dashing through the forest quicker than Niall could ever imagine. It’s a flurry of dark greens and browns before they’re suddenly in a huge open field.

In the distance, Niall can make out three other wolves. One with slightly curly brown hair and vibrant green eyes is dancing around a slightly smaller wolf with light brown hair that looks almost silky. Niall guesses that that’s Harry and Louis, and the other wolf with short, dark brown hair and a little more built than the other two that is doing laps around the field is Liam. Zayn continues to run towards the others at an alarming rate. The three other wolves seem to notices Zayn and Niall’s appearance and start running at them at a too quick of pace for Niall’s comfort.

Liam is the first to collide with them and Niall swears that his life just flashed before his eyes. He leans his chest in so it’s touching Zayn’s back, trying to shield himself from the other wolves that are each colliding with him and playfully nipping at his ears that are close to Niall’s head. A few inches off and Niall’s face would be colliding with those huge teeth.

Zayn seems to finally notice Niall’s discomfort and gives a low growl to a rowdy Louis who is pawing at Zayn’s face, seemingly wanting to wrestle with him. Louis backs off a bit, but only long enough for Zayn to let Niall jump off his back and stumble back a few feet and then he’s pouncing on Zayn. Niall gets nudged in the back by a cold, wet nose. He whips around and is met with giant green eyes.

“Harry, Harry stop that tickles.” Niall laughs as Harry keeps nudging him around. He finally stops and bounces back, his butt sticking up in the air and his tail wagging violently.

“No, no way.” Niall giggles but Harry is bouncing around him in a circle and Niall can’t stop himself. Soon they’re running around, or more like Harry chasing Niall and playfully nipping at his ankles and Niall trying not to fall over or faint from lack of air because he’s laughing so hard.

“Okay, enough, enough! I’m going to pee my pants.” Niall pants and pushes Harry’s nose away. Harry whines a bit but abides by Niall’s request. Niall gets a few moments to catch his breath, but just as he’s starting to control his heart’s pace Liam is at his side.

“No, I’m done. I think my legs are going to fall off.” he plops down on the ground and Liam follows him. He places his head in Niall’s lap, and his ears twitch. Niall leans back with one arm and starts to scratch behind Liam’s ears with the other one. Liam gives a content sigh and leans into Niall’s touch.

“You know, for such an intimidating looking wolf you sure are a big softie.” Niall comments but Liam lets his tongue hang out of his mouth and pants, obviously tuckered out from all the running. They sit like that for a few more minutes before the rest of the pack is joining them. But unlike he and Liam, they’re biting and Liam’s ears and tail and nudging at Niall to stand.

“What do you guys want?” Niall huffs as he stands up, stretching his refreshed limbs. Zayn looks at him and runs in a circle around him.

“One more run? Fine. I’ll race you home.” and Louis lets out a snort. Niall sprints off, but Louis, Harry, and Liam are all rushing past him in a matter of seconds but Niall doesn’t care.

He doesn’t care if he steps on a sharp rock, he doesn’t care if he trips over a branch, he doesn’t care if he twists an ankle, he doesn’t care that he’s not entirely sure if he’s heading the right direction, and he doesn’t care if his legs feel like they’re about to collapse under him but he still gives it his all.

All he knows is that Zayn is running by his side, matching his pace and guiding him and that he’s never felt so free and peaceful ever in his entire life.

 

He’s never felt so happy. 


End file.
